Drill pipe protector remover



July 28, 1942. M. E. NoRRls DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR REMOVEH Filed April 8,1941v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS July2s,1942.` MENORRIS 2,291,251

DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR REMOVER Filed April 8, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY fw]M, )41o/vm* ATTORNEY Patented July 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEDRILL PIPE PROTECTOR REMOVER Application April 8, 1941, Serial No.387,428

1 Claim.

This invention relates to Well drilling equipment and more particularlyto a drill pipe protector remover.

In drilling oil Wells by the rotary method it is customary to employ adrill pipe protector, usually made of rubber, to prevent Wear of thecasing and drill pipe during the drilling operation. One or more ofthese protectors is placed on each section of the drill pipe to preventmetal to metal contact between the drilling string and the casing.'Ihese protectors are formed of rubber tubing which snugly fit the drillpipe and are difficult to remove, if removal of the protector becomesdesirable.

In some instances protectors are removed from the drilling string afterthey have been in use for a very short time. For example where a changeis made in the size of the drill pipe or where iishing operations arenecessary the protectors may be removed before they have become Worn. Inthese instances it is desirable to remove the protectors withoutdamaging them so that they will be suitable for reuse upon anotherinstallation. Devices for the removal of drill pipe protectors are nowavailable but they are not satisfactory because they damage theprotector to an extent that it is not suitable for reuse.

The present invention is directed to a device for removing drill pipeprotectors without injury to the protector to permit its reuse. Thedevice comprises a frame or supporting member which may be mounted on atable and a protector remover engaging assembly attached to and supported by the supporting member. The engaging assembly consists of aplate having a plurality of dogs pivotally connected at their lower endsto the upper surface of the plate. The dogs have relatively wide arcuatesegments at their upper ends that are adapted to engage a drill pipeprotector and to extend substantially completely around a. drill pipefrom which a protector is to be removed. With a drill pipe protectordisposed above these engaging arcuate segments, the protector may bemoved 01T the section of drill pipe without injury by relative movementof the protector remover and the drill pipe.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one form of the invention. Inthis showing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation, partly in section, of a drill pipeand derrick table showing one form of the invention, the section beingsubstantially on line I-I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the upper end of the supporting member;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a hinged and tapered expander used on aninternal upset drill pipe next to a tool joint; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical, sectional View thereof.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the reference numeral Idesignates a base member which is preferably made of metal and which isprovided with a central circular opening 2 of a diameter greater thanthat of the drill pipes with which it is to be used. The circularopening communicates with a slot 3 of a diameter equal to that of theoutside diameter of the largest drill pipes on which the apparatus is tobe used. A tube 4 of a diameter'equai to the opening 2 is secured to thebase member and extends upwardly. The upper end of the tube 4 isconnected to a ring 5 the central opening 6 of which is equal in size tothe opening 2. This ring is provided with a slot 'I arranged inalignment with the slot 3 for positioning of the apparatus around thedrill pipe. A pair of legs or braces 8 are secured to the base memberadjacent the rear edge thereof and extend upwardly at an angle as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings and are connected at their upper ends to thering as indicated at 9. The braces 3 may be secured to the base memberand the ring 9 in any suitable manner as by welding.

A plate II] is secured to the ring by bolts II or other suitablefastening means when the device is to be used for the removal of a drillpipe protector. Plate III has an opening I2 of a diameter at least asgreat and. preferably greater than the outside diameter of the drillpipe. This plate is slotted at one side as at I3, the width of the slotbeing equal to the diameter of the circular opening I2 to permit thedevice to be assembled around the drill pipe. In Fig. 1 I have shown atool joint 20 and a section 2I of external upset drill pipe. The plateIll here shown is provided With a central opening I2 and a side openingor slot I3 of sufficient diameter and width to pass over the tool jointof the pipe from which the protector is to be moved. In order to graspthe bottom of the protector as heretofore described when it is passingover the portion of a section of drill pipe removed from the joint, Iprovide dogs 22 which are hinged to the upper surface of the plate as at23. As shown the hinged dogs are in the form of segments surrounding thecentral opening and I have illustrated three dogs formed ofsubstantially 120 segments. In some instances, especially with smallersize of pipe, two hinged dogs may be employed each of 180 segments. Anengaging member 2d is carried on the upper end of each segment 22, theengaging member being substantially horizontal when in engagement withthe protector I 6. The inner face 25 of the engaging member, however, istapered away from the outside wall of the pipe and the upper face 26preferably extends slightly downwardly at an angle when in position asshown in Fig. 1. The inner portion of this tcp face f26 which Abearsagainst the drill pipe protector is knurled 'or roughened and theengaging edge ofthe faces 25 and 25 is slightly bevelled or rounded.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown an expander consisting of twosubstantially Vsemi-cylindrical sections 2'I hinged to each other at Z8.Throughout the greater portion the outer surface of these members istapered as at 28. The expander shown in Figs. 5 and 6 maybe placedYaround an internal upset drill pipe just below the tool joint to assistin expanding the protector and start it over the tool joint. It may alsobe employed with an external upset drill pipe to assist the rubberprotector in starting over the tool joint.

vWhen the device is to be used for removing protectors, it is employedas illustrated in Fig. l.

As there shown a drill pipe string I5 which may be `formed of aplurality of separate sections of pipe is provided with protectors I5.As stated these protectors are in the form of rubber tubing and aresnugly received on the sections of the drill pipe. The reference numeralI'I designates the table or platform of the well drilling equipment.When a protector I6 is `to be removed, the drill pi'oe is p ulled fromthe hole and stopped above the table a distance greater than the heightof the protector remover. The protector remover isthen put in positionwith the base member I on the platform or table and surrounding thedrillpipe. When placing the protector remover around the drill pipe thedogs 22 are inclined out. wardly so that the arcuate segments at theirupper ends will clear a vertical projection of slot I3. When the drillprotector is in place the dogs are inclined inwardly, the arrangementbeing such that the dogs 22 vwhen inwardly inA clined engage thefbottomof the protector I I. The drill pipe is then lowered. The dogs 22prevent the rubber protector from moving downwardly and therefore pushit up the drill pipe as the drill pipe is lowered until it reaches thetool joint. The drill pipe is then raised a slight distance, slips areset in the table I 'I and elevators are connected to the base I of thedrill pipe protector remover. The elevators are then hoisted causing thedrill pipe protector remover to push the protector over the tool jointand 01T the drill pipe. The arrangement of the dogs 22 is such that whenthey engage the bottom of the protector I6 the force applied to themmoves them inwardly to snugly engage the drill pipe so that they willnot slip over the protector. When passing a tool joint or upset thesedogs swing outwardly on their pivot and the plate I having asuiii-ciently large opening is able to pass the tool joint or upset. Theslots 3 and I in the base member and ring of the protector removersupporting member are made of a size to receive drill pipes up to acertain outside diameter. For drill pipes of larger diameter, deviceshaving larger'openings would be employed. If desired with each protectorremover a plurality of rings I0 may be provided having central openingsI2 and slots I3 not substantially greater than the `diameter of thedrill pipe.

lI claim:

Ina drill pipe protector remover the com -Y bination comprising asupporting member Ahavning a central opening larger in diameter thanthat of the drill pipe from which protectors are to be removed and aslot extending from the central opening to one side .of the supportingmember the width of said slot being at least as great as the diameterofsaid drill pipe, aplate attached to and supported by said supportingmember said plate beingprovided with a central opening at least as largein diameter asY the diameter of said drill Ypipe anda slot extendingfrom said central opening to one side of the plate said last-mentionedkslot being positioned to register with the slot in said supportingmembenand a plurality of dogs pivotallyconnected at their lower ends tothe upper surface of said.` plate, s aid dogs having their upper ends inthe form of relatively wide arcuate segments adapted to engage a drillpipe protector and to extend substantially completely around a drillpipe disposed in the central opening of the plate when the dogs areinwardly inclined, the pivota1 connections at; the lower. ends of saiddogs bein-g spaced to permit the upper ends of the dogs to clear `avertical projection of the slot in said plate when the dogs are inclinedoutwardly from their pivotal connections, whereby the assembly may bealternately removed from or placed around a drill pip-e with the arcuatesegments at the upper ends of said dogs substantially completelysurrounding a drill pipe disposed in the central opening in the plateand in engagement with a protector to be removed from the drill pipewithout removing the lower end of the drill pipe from a well.

MORTIMER E. NORRIS.

